Bungaraya Island Resort

What a beautiful resort. We booked a superior villa for 5 nights, this was one of the cheapest room options. The villa was huge, bed was comfortable, lovely bathroom and a sea view to die for which we weren't expecting and a huge balcon, great aircon. Of course the paths are steep but this is the reason for the views, we have stayed in many hotels with this layout and are happy with the walking. The hotel grounds are very well maintained and all of the staff so friendly, such lovely people. They gave us something for the room so that we could get WiFi here which was appreciated. We went in March after our visit to Danum Valley so still early in the season, only a few villas occupied and no children it was really peaceful, just the way we like it. The breakfast was great, plenty of choice and we mostly ate in the long house where we were looked after very well and the food was excellent. The transfers to and from the hotel were excellent, we had a private transfer early morning for our return to the airport. The hotel is picturesque, set in the rainforest on the edge of the sea, plenty of wildlife and very good snorkeling when the conditions allowed, we saw some huge cuttlefish, what an experience. The monkeys did wreak havoc but great to watch, just don't leave anything on your balcony just in case. The only downside for me unfortunately was the sand fly bites. I was bitten on the first day whilst waiting for our room to be ready sat on the decking not the beach, I must have had around 60 bites and still have the scars. I was a mess. It's unfortunate and I didn't see many other people there that had been bitten that were staying there, I n all my years of going abroad I had never experienced sand flies. They either like you or if you're lucky they don't. I have just returned from another holiday abroad in Europe and have been bitten by sandflies again, my tip is take calamine lotion, it helps with the itching which I did this time, but the lady in reception at Bungaraya kindly gave me some lavender oil to roll onto them, after the first day I smothered myself in the oil they make up to repel the sandflies. My mosquito repellent also repelled sand flies but you can't really use it while sunbathing. If you are looking for peace, tranquility and luxury, this hotel is the place to relax and unwind after trekking in the Jungle which is what we did before moving on elsewhere.

When we arrived we thought we are in paradise. The landing wharf is impressive and we got a warm welcome from the staff. Some bungalows are located near the beach, most on a steep hill, sourrounded by trees. Unfortunately most bungalows don't offer ocean view. In the heat it is unpleasant to walk to the beach and restaurants, but they have golf carts that pick you up and bring you back. It mostly works like a charm, except when people arrive or leave and they have to deal with the luggage. The food is good, but the service is extremely slow in both restaurants. More than an hour waiting time to even get a starter. We learned our lesson, went to the bar for cocktails and pre-ordered our dinner. This worked and we went to the dinner table when the food was ready. All staff members were extremely friendly, but we were not impressed from the manager at all! There are two truly negative things: 1. The sand flies. Even if you use the provided protection oil there is a high chance you get bitten and suffer painful bites! They lasted for a long time! Those creatures also have the ability to transmit diseases... There was also something tiny in the water that bit us, but we don't know what it was. It made snorkelling very unpleasant. 2. The monkeys. All bungalows offer a really nice balcony with cushioned armchairs and a table. Inviting to sit and relax and enjoy a drink. BUT, only until the monkeys get aware of you. They jump onto you or the table and grab whatever they can get. They knocked my (expensive) drink over and drank it. On another occasion my husband came from a massage and a group of monkeys attacked him for NO REASON on the walkway to our bungalow!!! I heard their loud noises, looked what is going on and saw my husband running! I opened the door and slammed it close just in time before they got in. We talked to the manager about this and he just said that this is wildlife and a lot of people are happy to see it. UNBELIEVABLE!!! We travel the world and were often in remote areas with monkeys present, but we never experienced anything like this!!!

We stayed at Bungaraya for 6 nights. The resort is located in a cove of Gaya Island and has the most beautiful beach that stretches across the length of the resort and surrounded by rainforest. What made our experience at Bungaraya so brilliant without a doubt was the amazing staff! Every single member was welcoming, always smiling and attentive. Their service really made the whole experience! I would stay here again and recommend anyone else because of this! We made good use of the pool area each day which overlooks the beach and also the spa which is located in and amongst the trees! The food was very good. There is only two restaurants, but this was fine for us for the time we were there. Try the Shanghai pancake at the Longhouse restaurant! Overall Bungaraya really surprised us in the best of ways! After a week travelling in the Borneo rainforest, it was the perfect way to end our holiday! 100% recommend to anyone travelling to Gaya Island! And again, a massive thank you to the brilliant staff!

Enjoyed our long weekend in Paradise! Possibly one of the easiest places to travel to from Singapore offering a true Paradise! 2.5 hr flight, 15 min trip from airport to jetty and 15 min speedboat transfer gets you to an unbelievable island resort where hospitals greets you with a big smile! Despite the fact that we were unlucky with the weather, supposed to be dry season but we had two days quite a lot of rain, it didn’t really bother us as it’s the tropics after all! We went diving during the day with the sister resort Gayana and Rechey showed us the beautiful reefs surrounding Gays island! A tasty lunch is included with the dive package and sincerely recommend this activity! Due to rain we found our favourite spot was the bar overlooking the beach. Great relaxing spend after a day of diving and enjoying the background music with a mocktail or cocktail over looking South China Sea. Accommodation is super spacious and comfortable and we didn’t really use the little living room area but enjoyed our balcony overlooking the beach and sea…

One of the most disappointing stays ever. Beach was covered in sand flies so you couldn’t use. The staff didn’t tell us there was something specific to plug in at night and so we all woke up with over 100 bites each (not an exaggeration). Service was painfully slow. Over 30 minutes for a piece of toast and at least 20 minutes for a singular cocktail. No wifi in the resort despite being advertised as. Honestly avoid! We were told we would be contacted after for some form of compensation. After three attempts at contacting the resort we’ve still heard nothing!